Behringer today introduced Skies, a clone of the classic Mutable Instruments Clouds module.
The Behringer Skies joins the company’s previous Mutable clones, including Brains (Plaits), Surges (Ripples), Swords (Blades), Chaos (Marbles), Waves (Tides), and Steps (Stages).
Like the original Clouds module, Skies lets you sample audio in realtime and manipulate it with granular synthesis techniques. You can Freeze the audio to sample the recording buffer and explore it granularly. You can plug in a keyboard that supports CV/Gate and play the sampled audio chromatically. And the module can be also be used to create lush reverb effects.
Here’s the official Skies overview video:
Pricing and Availability:
The Behringer Skies is now shipping from their factory, with the following list prices:
- MSRP (Global List): $91.90
- MAP (US List): $119.00
Note that it generally takes a couple of months from when Behringer announces that new devices are shipping from their factory until they are widely available at retailers.
One of these days, I will build a big beautiful rack and it will be nothing but mutable clone modules. Too bad Beads is not open source 🙁
Couldn’t the DIY scene undercut Behringer on all these MI clones by getting the Gerbers/BOMs into a position where they could just be uploaded to JLCPCB or similar, and we could have 5/10/20 delivered for the price Behringer offers?
All we’d have to do is solder on the pots and jacks…
That would be very nice. What about the face-plates?
This is a great idea.
The face plates could also be PCB’s. There are a lot of eurorack manufacturers that just do that for their faceplates.. and JLC even offers full-colour printing on PCBs now.
The faceplate could be a $3 circuit board. It doesn’t really matter whether the sure says Mutable, Behringer, or DIYSynthDudes because most DIY people don’t care anyway, they just want to get stuff for cheaper than retail price.
But it would be very funny if someone put the Behringer logo on there. The problem is that nobody wants to do that, and nobody wants to copy Behringer’s low-rent graphic design either.
Just spend the extra hundred bucks on after later cumulus its 1000x better build quality with actual screwed on jacks that wont break after use.
I will concede it’s ugly as hell christmas colors, but still.
The reason this hasn’t happened is that you can already do this with Mutable’s original modules. Behringer is using different parts, which might cost less in some cases, and might cut corners in other cases. The pots and jacks are not as good. If you want to DIY your own clones, build the originals, not the ersatz copies.
The point of these modules is to be so cheap that ordering a board and soldering the hardware isn’t even worth the time. Also, a subset of the modular market feels that people who buy expensive modules are suckers. Behringer’s business models allows those people to feel that they’re more clever than people who paid full price for the originals.
It’s so clever how they evolved the original design by adding a usb charger. This way it’s not a copy.
Agree. This company has made such a mockery out of open source. It’s supposed to be about making improvements, not making lazy copies with no added value. Clouds could already be updated with a patch cable and a computer so the only change they made (the USB port) isn’t even an improvement.
What’s black-red-blue synth under the Pro800 in the background?
Simmons SDS-3 analog drum Synthesizer
Thanks! I didn’t think that was released yet.
Wow, look at the USA price…tariffs!?
Let’s say there is all-Behringer assembled case and some music / sound design is done with it. NO ONE would be able to tell while listening to it, if it was Behringer / cheaper / different parts / ugly front panel / different firmware etc etc…
I see so many bullshit comments, especially on Modwiggler by “veteran wiggler” “ultra pro-wigglers” etc etc > I then check their output (music, sounds, grooves) and in 99% of cases it is utter crap. Just piles of modules making noises that are not in tune, in sync, no groove, etc etc..and even “sound design” – hahaha.. these are people who just like to talk but can not produce anything with their multi-thousand-dollars systems. Sorry but true.
(And I listen every clip that I see online, hoping that I discover someone who know what he is doing. There are few by the way… very few)
Your comment makes you sound really insecure, especially since you seem hellbent on responding to criticisms that no one has actually made on this post.
And you’re trashing other people for buying quality modules, instead of Behringer ones, because “you can’t tell the difference from listening to them”.
Are you ignorant of the fact that Clouds is open source, it’s been freely available in VCV Rack for years, and it sounds essentially the same as ALL the hardware versions? And do you think the people buying the Behringer version are full of crap, or is there some sort of threshold you have for your scorn?
Finally – anybody that trashes other musicians’ music, but doesn’t have the balls to share their own music, comes across as a world class pussy.
“Sorry but true.”
Correct re: modwiggler. It’s generally populated by frauds who have £30000 systems with no clue of basic music theory or even basic synthesis concepts. This is clearly demonstrated by the reams of dismal ‘ambient/drone studies*) uploaded.
It really is more of a club for men of a certain age to obsess over their collections or commodities, an expensive version of kids with pokemon cards.
The single exception is the DIY section – some seriously knowledgeable guys on there. Otherwise avoid.
Just to be clear I’ve been using modular for far over a decade, love the format, despise the trendy modwiggler types that make it look so ridiculous
*anyone referring to a drone as a’ study’ is to be viewed with the deepest suspicion!
Share your music so we can judge you, Maybe you’re also utter crap
@Zak
just laugh and move on….granular synthesis techniques…..easily reproduced on my PC